Final SA gig Easy Sao Paulo and the gay bar

Pete with his guitar.

Monk.

Got up about 10:30, good sleep, feeling better rested now. Sat down stairs as monkey was asleep still, and chatted with Pol on Skype.

Promoter picked up the 2/3rd's of us that had managed to get out of bed and took us to a lovely restuarant, finally I am eating properly again. Then back to hotel to pick up guitars and missing persons and off to soundcheck.

Was an early show today, went really well, I'm pretty much on top of the job now, although I did throw a bloody great beach ball which hit Pete's mic and bounced of and hit him on the head while he was singing, sorry Pete if you ever read this.

Incidently the band are aware that I am doing this blog and Genna, Scruff's girlfreind is using it to keep up to date, Hi Genna, but as far as I am aware the rest of the band have not seen it, it's not really written for them although there is no reason why they shouldn't see it if they wanna.

Gig finished by 21:00 so when we got back to the hotel we thought we'd go to a local bar for a couple of beers. being Sunday night not too much open but we soon found a cosy little place.

Once inside we got a round of beers and as I looked around noticed people were looking at us a lot and that they were mostly muscley men in white sleeveless t'shirt's. Started feeling a little uneasy and then we were told it was a GLS club. Apparently common in Brasil it means gays, lesbians and sympathisers!! Arghh help! Couldn't look at anyone cause if you did they would fix a stare and not look away, it was genuinly awful, I found a safeish spot with my back to the wall and started calculated the best route out of the place, then Hoggy the bastard made me jump out by pinching my arse, (must say Hoggy looked quite at home in the place) you would need to be there to understand the atmosphere of the place, I could just about remember the way back to the hotel, so I beat a retreat, I told everyone I was leaving and Dan said he'd come too so we left together, or he would have except they wouldn't let Dan out as he hadn't got the slip of paper you needed for free entry. Thought about going back in to help, but decided against it, it was everyman for himself now as far as I was concerned.

BTW I am not antigay at all, it's just that this particular place was very oppresssive.

Got back to the hotel and then Dan arrived, unlike me he had ommitted to get his room key from Shohan, never mind mate see you in the morning I said cheerily as he disappeared from view behind the closing lift doors.

Just got settled im my room and there's a bang on the door, it's Pete.

Pete. "have you nicked my f'ing bottle of wine"

Me. "corse not don't even drink the stuff"

Pete. "Come off it, I know you had one before now what you done with it", his eyes were darting around my room.

Me. "Pete honestly mate I ain't touched you bloody wine, what would I want with it."

Pete. "Look I know you had it your the only one back."

Me. "Dan's back too!"
Pete. "did he have a friend with him"?

Me. "Dunno but there were some funny noise's coming from up the corridor!"

Pete. "OK, where you hidden the wine?"
Me. "oh all bloody right" I pulled it out from behind the telly and gave it to him, "ain't got a corkscrew though!"

We got it open with two knives and a book, it tasted horrible so Pete warmed the bottle under a tap explaining that this was how you turn crap wine into good wine. It was marginally better but still undrinkable, Pete then added some coka cola to it "this'll do the trick"

We gave up and went to bed.

So that's it for SA, flying tomorrow evening back to LA via Dallas, I have generally enjoyed it down here although slightly marred by the health problems especially Argentina for me. Brasil is the pick of the three, great hotel, great restaurants, the promoter really looked after us.

Gonna be nice to get back to Pete's, get some washing done, try and get a hair cut, and meet up with the rest of the guys again to prepare for the final 5 gigs.

Off to sleep now but don't feel very tired.